Adam Levitan

Draft Analysis

Abusing the Pre-Draft Rankings

A couple years ago, my longest-running fantasy league had a live draft for the first time. Someone called out "Bernie” Wells. Comedy ensued.

In a perfect world, every fantasy draft would be live. It would force owners to come with their own lists instead of relying on the default rankings that the online sites provide.

However, we don’t live in a perfect world. Therefore, these default rankings provided online have become a major part of the drafting process in most leagues. Some unprepared – or even prepared -- owners use these rankings as a crutch. That means they may be afraid to pull the trigger on X guy in the second round because they are listed a fifth-round guy in the draft room. Or maybe they take Y guy early just because his name is on top of those default rankings. And if there are auto drafters, being aware of who is on top of the list is crucial.

Strategy: We can run wild here. ESPN has neglected to bump up a lot of the players that have gained steam in the preseason, such as Mark Ingram, Reggie Bush and Julio Jones. Against unprepared opponents using this list, there is going to be a ton of value n the middle rounds. … Matthew Stafford is ranked as the No. 17 quarterback. Wowzers. ... Shonn Greene deserves special notice as well. No reason to reach if your opponents put stock in this pre-draft ranking.

Strategy: Again, notice the quarterbacks. Most likely, your scoring system and roster format is not conducive to using an early or mid second-round pick on the position. … We have discussed the problems with each of the five running backs listed above. When drafting, don’t let these rankings fool you. … If you believe in Antonio Brown, you’ll have to reach. He is ranked above guys like A.J. Green, Lee Evans, Robert Meachem, Michael Crabtree etc.

Strategy: Even the most unprepared owners are ready for the first round. Michael Vick and Rashard Mendenhall would only slip a hair, if at all. … Make sure you’re aware of where Peyton Hillis and Reggie Bush are ranked. Against weaker opponents, they will slip much further than they should.

Strategy: Here is where we can really start to take advantage. Most owners won’t even realize these guys are the board thanks to their extremely low rankings. We can afford to wait a little longer than usual to pounce on these undervalued players.

Strategy: CBS isn’t doing us any favors here. They have adjusted their rankings to reflect all the buzz these three are getting, so we’ll have to reach. These names will get to the top of the “queue” list quickly.

Strategy: Yahoo has a ton of quarterbacks up high in their rankings. In a 10-team draft I was in last night, nine quarterbacks went before Round 6 was over. I then waited until 9.03 and took Matthew Stafford. … Ryan Grant has not been moved down despite bad vibes during training camp. Make sure you are aware. … This is the highest I have seen Shonn Greene listed anywhere. You will have to reach if you want him. The disparity between his ADP in Yahoo drafts vs. ESPN is severe.

Strategy: As mentioned, Yahoo has adjusted to preseason developments here. No bargains, everyone is going to see these guys in the range I would consider them normally.

A couple years ago, my longest-running fantasy league had a live draft for the first time. Someone called out "Bernie” Wells. Comedy ensued.

In a perfect world, every fantasy draft would be live. It would force owners to come with their own lists instead of relying on the default rankings that the online sites provide.

However, we don’t live in a perfect world. Therefore, these default rankings provided online have become a major part of the drafting process in most leagues. Some unprepared – or even prepared -- owners use these rankings as a crutch. That means they may be afraid to pull the trigger on X guy in the second round because they are listed a fifth-round guy in the draft room. Or maybe they take Y guy early just because his name is on top of those default rankings. And if there are auto drafters, being aware of who is on top of the list is crucial.

Strategy: We can run wild here. ESPN has neglected to bump up a lot of the players that have gained steam in the preseason, such as Mark Ingram, Reggie Bush and Julio Jones. Against unprepared opponents using this list, there is going to be a ton of value n the middle rounds. … Matthew Stafford is ranked as the No. 17 quarterback. Wowzers. ... Shonn Greene deserves special notice as well. No reason to reach if your opponents put stock in this pre-draft ranking.

Strategy: Again, notice the quarterbacks. Most likely, your scoring system and roster format is not conducive to using an early or mid second-round pick on the position. … We have discussed the problems with each of the five running backs listed above. When drafting, don’t let these rankings fool you. … If you believe in Antonio Brown, you’ll have to reach. He is ranked above guys like A.J. Green, Lee Evans, Robert Meachem, Michael Crabtree etc.

Strategy: Even the most unprepared owners are ready for the first round. Michael Vick and Rashard Mendenhall would only slip a hair, if at all. … Make sure you’re aware of where Peyton Hillis and Reggie Bush are ranked. Against weaker opponents, they will slip much further than they should.

Strategy: Here is where we can really start to take advantage. Most owners won’t even realize these guys are the board thanks to their extremely low rankings. We can afford to wait a little longer than usual to pounce on these undervalued players.

Strategy: CBS isn’t doing us any favors here. They have adjusted their rankings to reflect all the buzz these three are getting, so we’ll have to reach. These names will get to the top of the “queue” list quickly.

Strategy: Yahoo has a ton of quarterbacks up high in their rankings. In a 10-team draft I was in last night, nine quarterbacks went before Round 6 was over. I then waited until 9.03 and took Matthew Stafford. … Ryan Grant has not been moved down despite bad vibes during training camp. Make sure you are aware. … This is the highest I have seen Shonn Greene listed anywhere. You will have to reach if you want him. The disparity between his ADP in Yahoo drafts vs. ESPN is severe.

Strategy: As mentioned, Yahoo has adjusted to preseason developments here. No bargains, everyone is going to see these guys in the range I would consider them normally.

Adam Levitan is in his seventh season covering football and basketball for Rotoworld. He won the Fantasy Sports Writers Association award for Best Series in 2011 and 2009, and ESPN's overall fantasy football title in 2000. Find him on Twitter.Email :Adam Levitan